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Sinking of the Titanic
After hitting an iceberg and killing 1,500 people, the sinking of the Titanic caused a device that could search for objects ahead of the boats to be created. -
First Acoustic Exploration of the Seas
"Reginald Fessenden uses an oscillator to bounce a signal simultaneously off an iceberg and the seafloor, the first acoustic exploration of the seas." (Ocean) -
Studying the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
"The German Meteor expedition surveys the South Atlantic with echo sounders, proving the continuity of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge." (Ocean) -
The Bathysphere
"William Beebe is lowered in a tethered bathysphere to 923 meters (3,028 feet). He and partner Otis Barton pioneered manned exploration of the ocean." (Ocean) -
The Creation of the Aqua-Lung
"Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan modify a demand breathing regulator to engineer the Aqua-Lung, forever changing the course of human interaction with the sea." (Ocean) -
Untethered Submersible Dive
"The French research submersible FNRS-3 descends to 4,041 meters (13,257 feet) off the coast of West Africa, piloted by Georges Houot and Pierre Willm, inaugurating use of manned, untethered, research submersibles." (Ocean) -
Discovery of Magnetic Strip on Ocean Floor
"The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Pioneer, in a joint project with the U.S. Navy and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, tows the first marine magnetometer and finds magnetic striping on the seafloor off the West Coast. The discovery adds a key element to the theory of plate tectonics." (Ocean) -
The Trieste Explores the Mariana Trench
"The bathyscaphe Trieste dives to what was believed to be the deepest point in the Mariana Trench, recording a depth of 10,912 meters (35,800 feet). Exploring the same area in 1998, a Japanese research vessel measured a depth of 10,938 meters (35,886 feet)." (Ocean) -
Development of the Deep Tow System
"The Scripps Institution of Oceanography begins development of the Deep Tow System, the forerunner of all remotely operated unmanned oceanographic systems." (Ocean) -
Submersible Deep Dives
"The Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin is constructed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Alvin was the first U.S.-based deep-diving submersible, and has now made over 4,400 descents and led to numerous ocean floor discoveries." (Ocean) -
Citation
“Ocean Exploration: Timeline.” National Geographic Society, 9 Nov. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ocean-exploration-timeline/.
